Naruto of the Fire Fist
by Ruthless Blood Diamond
Summary: Naruto is Gai's adopted son. Naruto dedicates his shinobi career to taijutsu and creates a deadly style that mixes elemental chakra and taijutsu. Follow him as he tries to stop the Akatsuki, falls in love, and shows the shinobi world once again, why the Uzumaki Clan should be feared.
1. Chapter 1

Naruto of the Fire Fist

Chapter 1 – How It All Started

"Naruto" - Person Talking

_'Naruto' – _Person Thinking

"**Naruto" - **Summons/Biju Talking

_**'Naruto'**_ – Summons/Biju Thinking

"**Shadow Clone Jutsu**" - Justu/Technique

It was a great day for the villagers of Konoha. It was the 5th anniversary of the Kyuubi's defeat at the hands of their beloved Yondaime Hokage. Unfortunately, it didn't come without a price. Many of the villagers lost somebody precious in the attack, not to mention the loss of their Hokage. It is for that reason that this day is hated by young Naruto.

Ever since he was born he has been hated and scorned by villagers and ninja alike. The only people who don't despise him are his jiji, the Sandaime Hokage, and a couple of his personal ANBU.

Now Naruto isn't an idiot like everyone thinks him to be. He is actually quite smart and cunning. He knew that his jiji cared for him like his own grandson. He knew he would do damn near anything to make his life better, but he didn't. And that has always confused Naruto.

He says he can't do certain things because the council would have a fit, but isn't he the Hokage? Does he not have absolute and total rule over the village? Especially when it comes to shinobi affairs. Why did he allow the council and his advisers to rule over him? The council and advisers where just that, his council and advisers. They advised him in his decisions and when he had a difficult problem, he brought it to the council, and they gave him their opinions. The final rule rested with the Hokage. It literally boggled his mind to think that his advisers could overrule him on matters. It made not even a shred of sense and he just could not understand his jiji's way of thinking.

'_Speaking of jiji where is he_' mused Naruto as he ran through the streets of the red light district with a mob hot on his tail.

Shouts of "Kill the demon!" and "Go back to hell where you belong demon scum!" rang through his ears as he darted into a nearby alley. Unfortunately for him, the alleyway was a dead end. He turned around and sunk to the ground as he watched the mob close in on him

He knew what was to come. He had been in this situation more times than he would care to remember and every one of them ended up with him being hospitalized. The Chunnin who was leading the mob looked down on him, a malicious smirk of his face, and raised a kunai over his head as he looked around.

"Today is the day that we finish what the Yondaime started and send the demon back to where he belongs! In the fiery depths of hell!" the Chunnin shouted out much to the mobs approval. The crowd cheered as he brought the kunai down, intent on ending the demon, only to be surprised when instead of sinking into soft flesh, it was met with another kunai.

Naruto closed his eyes as he prepared to die. He knew that his luck had run out and no ANBU where coming to save him this time because they usually would have stopped this by now. He hoped that he would at least be able to see his parents before Kami sent him to hell.

Suddenly, he heard the telltale sound of metal clashing and looked up to see a sight that would forever be burned into his mind. The most hideously dressed man he had ever seen in green tights and orange leg warmers stood before him. The thing that amazed Naruto, however, was not his horrendous bowl cut or his impossibly bushy eyebrows, but that he had blocked the kunai that was on its way to being lodged in his head. This man, no matter how ugly he dressed, had defended him. Right then, Naruto swore he would do anything to show this man he was worthy of being defended, no matter what the cost.

"THIS MOB IS MOST UNYOUTHFUL. YOU ARE ALL SULLYING YOUR SPRINGTIME OF YOUTH! IF I CANNOT HELP THIS BOY, THEN I WILL RUN AROUND THE VILLAGE 500 TIMES ON MY HANDS!" Gai proclaimed loudly.

Now the villagers, being the civilians they were, knew that they were no match for this freak of a ninja and decided that the mob was over and the demon had gotten away again. They slowly started to leave, grumbling about lucky demons and how they would get him eventually.

The Chunnin, however, refused to be denied his vengeance and, in his drunken state of mind, decided that he could take on Maito Gai, taijutsu specialist, and without a doubt, the fastest person in Konoha, in a close quarters match and then kill the demon. So with a battle cry he rushed Gai at what he thought, in his arrogant and deluded mind, to be unparalleled speeds, when in all actuality a fresh from the academy Genin could keep up with him, with his fist cocked back and just as he was about to connect with the taijutsu specialists jaw, Gai suddenly vanished in a burst of speed, leaving behind a bewildered and confused ninja, and reappeared behind him only to chop him on the neck, sending him into unconsciousness, all the while shouting about his springtime of youth.

Naruto looked on in sheer awe. The pure speed this man possessed literally blew his young mind. _'Fast'_ thought Naruto. _'How did he get so fast. I can literally feel the power this man possesses rolling off him. His very presence would be intimidating if he didn't look like such a baka.' _A calloused hand on his shoulder broke him out of his revere.

Gai looked at this young boy. He wore a dirty black shirt with a red spiral that he vaguely recognized as the Uzumaki Swirl. He also sported a pair of tan shorts that were torn and tattered. He had blonde hair that was caked with dirt and three whisker marks adorned each of his cheeks. He was short and unhealthy looking at about 3'4 and he had absolutely no fat anywhere on him. All in all, he looked terrible. Gai frowned. _'Is this what the village has done to you Naruto? Minato you would be ashamed at how the village you gave your life for has treated your son.'_

He knew who this boy was. He was heir to the Namikaze and Uzumaki clans and yet here he was living in the squalor of the streets. Gai decided right there that he would adopt this child, who had been deprived of the warmth of a home and a loving parental figure, and show him what is was like to be cared for. And of course teach him the ways of YOUTHFULNESS!

"Hello Naruto-kun! Are you okay or do you need me to take you to a hospital?" Gai asked with a large smile adorning his face.

Naruto looked up at this man, searching his eyes for any hint of deceit or malicious intent. This had happened to him a lot before as well. People pretending to be nice to him only for them to try to kill him while his guard was down. He had learned out of necessity to find any hint of a lie. When he looked into his saviors eyes, he found only sincerity and incredibly bushy eyebrows. He then remembered his decision to show this man that he was worth saving and made a decision that would change his future and rock Konoha to the core. He bowed and replied, "Thank you but I am fine Gai-sama. I was actually hoping that you could teach me to become a shinobi of your caliber and strength. I will be forever in your debt if you would"

Gai, for his part, was stunned. At first, his intent was to adopt him and show him a great home and care for him, but the thought of having a young apprentice to shape into a great ninja was stoking his flames of youth greatly.

He gave his patented thumbs up and large smile and yelled, "YOSH! I SHALL ADOPT YOU AND TAKE YOU ON AS MY APPRENTICE FOR I CAN SEE YOUR FLAMES OF YOUTH BURN BRIGHT MY YOUNG PUPIL! COME WE MUST MAKE THIS OFFICIAL WITH THE HOKAGE AND THEN WE SHALL TRAIN UNTIL THE SUN COMES UP!"

Naruto sweat dropped. _'Is this guy for real?'_ he thought. On second thought, this whole thing may not be such a good idea. But he did say that he would adopt him. That alone made up for any quirks this man could have. He actually wanted him._ 'I'll have a home and maybe...maybe he would let me call him dad' _he thought with a small smile.

He stood up and stared at Gai. "Do you mean that?" he asked softly. "Do you really want to adopt me?'

Gai looked him right in the eyes, understanding that his next words will be the deciding factor on whether or not Naruto will trust him, and replied, "Of course Naruto. I know this village hasn't treated you well and they have denied you the care you need but if you will let me, I will care for you like my own son" he replied, deathly serious for once.

Naruto's reply was so soft that Gai almost didn't catch it. "Thank you... tou-san." he whispered when suddenly he was engulfed in a hug. He flinched violently, a testament to the life he had led up to this point.

Gai frowned at his reaction. "You don't have to live like this anymore my son" he told him. "Now how about we go visit the Hokage and get this sorted out so we can go home huh Naruto?" Gai asked tentatively. A rapid nodding of the head was his response. He chuckled and scooped him up. "YOSH! WE SHALL SHOW THE HOKAGE OUR FLAMES OF YOUTH!" Gai bellowed as he took off at impossibly high speeds towards the Hokages's office with Naruto yelling at him to go faster.

(With Hokage)

The Hokage, for his part, was in his office working on the bane of his existence, paperwork! He just could not understand how Minato could have so much time to spend with Kushina with all this paperwork. He looked at the pile of it and sighed. He was almost done. He closed his eyes to silently thank the gods when he felt a small breeze. He opened his eyes only to see a stack of papers 3 feet high sitting on his desk. He then proceeded to cry anime tears while the ANBU guarding his office sweat dropped._ 'Damn you Minato! When I get up there I am going to kill you for leaving me with this blasted paperwork!_' Luckily for him he heard a knock on his door. "Enter" he intoned as Gai and, to his immense surprise, Naruto walked in.

"HEY JIJI!" Naruto cried as he bounded up to the desk while Gai silently followed him.

"Hello there Naruto, Gai. To what do I owe this pleasure?" The Hokage asked curiously. He had an inkling and if he was right, this could be a great thing not just for Naruto, but for the village. Naruto gets a loving parental figure and the village gets another taijustsu expert. Even if the council decided to try and intervene then he could say that it was for the good of the village and effectively shut them up.

Gai spoke up before Naruto could say anything. "Hokage-sama, I was hoping you could sign off on this adoption form. I have decided to adopt young Naruto here for his flames of youth burn brightly!"

The Hokage smiled, his suspicions proven correct. "And does Naruto agree with this?" he asked smirking slightly as he already knew the answer.

"YEAH JIJI! Pops is gonna teach me to be a super fast ninja just like him!" Naruto replied with a wide grin on his face.

"Then I will, of course, sign the form. Naruto can you please step outside for a minute? I have to talk to your pops about your training." the Hokage asked innocently hoping that Naruto took the hint and left without making too much of a fuss.

"Yea alright jiji. Good luck with all that paperwork!" Naruto replied cheekily as he left the office and just before he closed the door he heard the Hokage yell out in frustration as he discovered another 5 feet of paperwork on his desk. He smirked evilly to himself. _'That'll teach him to talk about secret stuff without me'_ he thought with a satisfied smile on his face. He wasn't so ignorant to think that they would actually be talking about his training schedule. _'He probably just wants to tell tou-san about my heritage or something'_ thought Naruto.

(With Hokage and Gai)

The Hokages face suddenly got very serious. "Gai, I assume you know who exactly you are adopting am I correct?" The Hokage questioned in a deathly serious tone. Gai subconsciously straightened up.

"Hai, Hokage-sama. I know that he is the heir to two major clans and I know of his heritage. Minato was actually a very good friend of mine" Gai answered honestly. He didn't know where the Hokage was going with this but he assumed it was something important or pertinent to how he was going to be training him.

"Then you know of Minato's title of Seal Master and what that entails?" he asked Gai this time not icily like before, but with curiosity with a hint of mischief in his eyes.

"Of course Hokage-sama. He was a seal master of prodigious skill. I also heard he created several original seals in short time as Hokage but he couldn't distribute them because his duties as Hokage and as a husband kept him from having much free time. But I don't see where you're going with all this" Gai replied confused as to what he was missing here.

The Hokage smirked, "Well you see Gai, when Naruto was born, Minato didn't just draw the **Shiki Fu****j****in** seal on Naruto. He also applied some of his newly developed seals on him as well as a seal that would regulate them as he got older. I am the only one aware of this but Naruto has four resistance seals on him, one on each limb, as well as a gravity seal on his chest. The regulator seal ensured that they would go up one level when Naruto got used to them. Then with the Kyuubi in him, whenever the his muscles get ripped from training, then they would be healed at a greatly accelerated rate. I'm sure you know what this means Gai."

Gai's eyes were wide and his mind was in overload. Already he was thinking of the possibilities of this new revelation. _'Naruto could become faster and stronger than him __by the time he was a Genin__. He could have speeds unobtainable even when all eight gates are opened __by the time he was a 15 with the help__ of s__ome youthful__ training. He could become the best taijutsu user the world has even seen, far surpassing myself in all aspects of shinobi training. He has literally unlimited potential'_ he thought dreamily. "Do you know what level his seals are on right now Hokage-sama?" Gai asked.

"I don't. No one has checked them since he has had them on. I assume they are high though, with all the running he does." he replied with a somber tone thinking of all the times Naruto had been chased by the mobs. He brightened shortly after thinking about Naruto now. He knew with the information he just gave Gai, he could count on Naruto being Jonin level by the time he was a Genin. Especially the way Gai trained.

"I see. Well thank you for allowing me this honor Hokage-sama. By your leave" Gai asked as he began to walk out to find Naruto and get him settled in his new home.

The Hokage waved him off. '_Things are going to get really interesting in the coming years_' he thought as he took a puff from his pipe and looked out at the bustling streets of Konoha with a small smile on his face.

(With Gai and Naruto)

"Alright Naruto, for tonight we will just relax and I'll show you around our apartment but for the next 6 years I will be training you into the ground. YOUR FLAMES OF YOUTH WILL BURN AS BRIGHT AS THE SUN!" Gai screamed as Naruto sweatdropped.

"Do you scream like that all the time?" Naruto asked warily. He was forever grateful to the man for taking him in but all that screaming about youth or whatever would get annoying.

"HAI, AND IF I DON'T, I SHALL RUN AROUND THE VILLAGE 200 TIMES WHILE CARRYING A BOULDER!" he yelled again while giving his patented thumbs up pose.

Naruto sighed. '_I guess I'll have to get used to that_' he thought to himself. He looked at Gai as he stopped walking.

"Here is your new home Naruto-kun. I hope it is to your liking. Your bedroom will be down the hall and to the left while mine is to the right. Both of our rooms have their own bathrooms so that won't be a problem. Why don't you take your things in and get settled in while I cook us up some dinner" Gai said as he looked at Naruto to judge his reaction. He was not disappointed.

Naruto looked at his new home with wide eyes. It was clean and fairly large compared to his old, ratty apartment, which was only a small 10x10 room that was mostly taken up by his bed. A smile lit up his face as he gazed into his room. It was painted a nice crimson color. In the middle of the room was a fairly large bed. Next to that was a small nightstand. In the corner was a door leading to his own, personal bathroom.

Naruto turned to Gai with tears streaming down his face and a huge smile and hugged him.

"Thank you so much for all of this" he sobbed into his chest while Gai just smiled sadly and patted his back.

"This is what you deserve Naruto-kun. You deserve this and so much more. You are a hero to this village" he told him.

Naruto looked up, confusion evident in his eyes. "What do you mean I'm a hero? What did I do?" he asked Gai.

Gai sighed heavily. "Naruto, on this night 5 years ago, the Biju known as the Kyuubi attacked Konoha. A Biju is a manifestation of chakra and are extremely powerful and cannot be killed by us humans. There are nine of them each with a certain number of tails. The tails represent how strong they are, one being the least powerful, while nine being the most powerful. Make no mistake though Naruto, even the one tailed biju could wipe out an entire village easily. The Kyuubi has nine tails and is the most powerful of them all. It was said that it could level mountains with just a swing of his tail" Gai informed his young charge.

"Whoa! How did we get rid of it if it was so powerful though?" he asked.

"That is the thing Naruto. As I said, us humans cannot kill biju, so the Fourth Hokage made the decision to seal the Kyuubi into a small child. His child to be exact" Gai stated sadly.

Naruto's mind was in turmoil. '_It was true. All of what the villagers say is true. I'm a demon. I've killed so many people_' he thought sadly.

Gai sensed Naruto's internal struggle and decided to reassure him. "Naruto come with me" he said seriously as he got up and walked into the kitchen to grab a bowl.

Naruto sensed the seriousness in his voice and followed him dutifully wondering what his tou-san was doing.

"Naruto what is this" he asked as he held up the bowl so that Naruto could see.

"Uhm, it's a bowl" he answered while wondering if his adoptive father had lost his sanity.

"Correct. Now what is it" he asked again while pulling a kunai out of his pouch and putting it inside the bowl.

"Uhm, it's a bowl with a kunai in it" he said. Gai smiled brightly at him.

"Exactly. The bowl is still a bowl, no matter what is inside of it. Do you understand Naruto? You are still you. It doesn't matter if you have a demon sealed into you" he told his young son hoping that this would assure him that he was not a demon.

Understanding instantly dawned on Naruto's face. '_I'm still me, it's just that I have a demon in me. I really am a hero. I'm the only thing holding the Kyuubi back from destroying the village. And did he say that the fourth Hokage sealed it into his son? I'm the Yondaime's son!_' he thought with a small smile.

"Now enough of all this depressing talk, why don't you sleep on what you've learned for now and tomorrow we'll go shopping to get you weights and whatever clothes you like?" Gai asked.

Naruto yawned and nodded sheepishly. "That sounds good pops. Thank you... for all of this."

"Think nothing of it Naruto" Gai responded with a small smile. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Naruto fell asleep that night happy for this first time in as long as he could remember.

**Timeskip 6 Years**

Naruto has grown a lot in the past 6 years since his tou-san adopted him. He was now 11 years old. He stood tall for his age at 5'4. He wore black ANBU pants that were taped up to his shin and black ninja sandals. He also wore a slate gray, high collared shirt with a red Uzumaki swirl on the back.

His pops had tried, repetitively, to get him into one of those horrid green jumpsuits he wore. He refused, every time, sometimes having to throw Kakashi under the bus to get his pops off his back by saying that Kakashi had issued a challenge or some nonsense.

Ever since he found out that he was the Fourth's son, he decided to honor his biological dad by cutting his hair exactly like his. This led to him looking like an exact copy of the Yondaime, minus the whiskers, and inadvertently gave all the villagers a wake up call.

They realized that they had been treating their beloved Yondaime's son like trash, and a majority of them tried to make it up to him. He, of course, forgave them and just asked that they judge him based on his personality not his heritage. Many had honored this request and began to get to know him. It was safe to say that Naruto was now well-liked by almost everyone in the village. There was still some people who hated him still, but Naruto could live with that.

Naruto was walking through the streets intent on getting to his favorite ramen stand, but not for their ramen. No, Naruto had an addiction to sweet tea and it just so happened that Ichiraku's not only had the best ramen, but the best sweet tea. Naruto made it a point to hang out their as much as he could to get some of their heavenly sweet tea.

This of course led to Naruto's multitude of fan girls to make it into their base of operations. Said fan girls all squealed when Naruto walked into the ramen stand.

He walked up to the counter and sat down in his chair. He came here so much, Teuchi and Ayame decided to get him his own chair and no one else was allowed into it. It even had his name engraved in the back along with the Uzumaki swirl.

"Hey Ayame-chan, I'll have a sweet tea please" he told the cute waitress with a disarming smile. He enjoyed the blush that crept up on her face.

"Of course Naruto-kun" she said bringing out a glass filled with his precious sweet tea.

"Thanks Ayame-chan, you're the best" he said before he took a long drink. She stuttered a little before blushing and going to take another order. He chuckled to himself and looked around the stand. Many girls he looked at would just squeal loudly, blush and look away and start giggling.

He sighed to himself. He enjoyed flirting with all of them but he would never date any of them. He wanted a real kunoichi, not one of these civilian or fan girls. He wanted a woman who took their ninja career seriously. A woman who could stand next to him as an equal and yet, make him blush like a schoolgirl when he looked at her.

He sighed again and finished the last of his tea while putting the money he owed on the table. '_Maybe I just have my standards set too high. Oh well, no use moping around, I've got training to do_' he thought as he walked out of the stand.

Normally he would stay much longer and chat with a few people but lately he'd been obsessed with creating his own taijutsu style. He decided many years ago, as a thanks to his pops for taking him in, he would only use taijutsu, just like him.

His pops had been overjoyed at that and since then he had learned many different styles and trained impossibly hard. Since then, he had upped his resistance and gravity seals to level 10. He and Gai were perfectly even when it came to speed. They tied in races when they both released their seals and weights respectively and they tied when they had their seals and weights on as well.

Naruto though, wasn't satisfied with the taijutsu styles he learned. It always seemed that something was missing from them. One day he decided to check his elemental affinity just to see what it was. What happened shocked him. When he channeled his chakra into the paper, it burned so hot it just disintegrated. No ashes were left. He was amazed and asked Kakashi about it since he was more knowledgeable than his pops in the ninjutsu area. He told him that he had an amazingly high affinity to fire.

This intrigued Naruto and one night, while he was drinking his tea it hit him. He was going to create a style that used the basics of Tsunade-sama's super strength. What gave her the super strength was that right at the point of impact, she would release chakra from her fists, thus sending people flying. He would do the same thing, but instead of releasing just pure chakra, he would release his fire chakra.

It took him the better part of two years before he got the style down to an acceptable point. Both Kakashi and his pops were flabbergasted when he showed them. He demonstrated on a log and when he punched it the part he hit flash burned leaving a fist sized hole in it. They were both amazed to say the least.

That was 2 years ago and now he was almost done with mastering what he named the fire Fist style. He could send and release fire chakra instinctively through both his fists and feet now. He had completely mastered the Fire Fist and right on time. The Genin exams were just a day away.

His pops had made him sit through a year in the academy in order to spend time with kids his own age. Suffice to say it was a horrible experience. The academy was so pitiful that it disgusted him.

'_l still don't know why the fuck flower pressing is a class. What the fuck is flower pressing going to do for you when you're fighting an enemy ninja?_' he thought to himself as he lay on his bed. The civilian council may have been nicer to him, but they still had no business in shinobi affairs. '_Oh well, hopefully their sensei's kick them into gear_' he thought as he drifted off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**

**I apologize for the long wait. I was busy with college and whatnot. Anyway, I'm extremely happy you guys are liking the story thus far. It's my first fic so feel free to criticize the hell out of it. I want to get better for you guys. Many of you said that it felt like I was rushing it. To them, I agree. I'm not sure if it was due to me trying to crank it out before I left for vacation or me just not really liking to write slow parts. Either way I will do my best to slow it all down. Thanks again guys and enjoy.**

Naruto of the Fire Fist

Chapter 2 – Two Man Genin Cell

"Naruto" - Person Talking

_'Naruto' – _Person Thinking

"**Naruto" - **Summons/Biju Talking

_**'Naruto'**_ – Summons/Biju Thinking

"**Shadow Clone Jutsu**" - Justu/Technique

Naruto woke up to the feeling of ice cold water being dumped on him. He sat up ramrod straight and saw his pops in his signature good guy pose. He groaned loudly as he looked at the clock on his bedside table.

"Ughhhh, it's five in the morning. What could you possibly want at five in the morning?" he mumbled as he rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Better yet, why the hell are you so chipper at five in the morning?" he asked as he studied him. Sure enough, his father was fully dressed and looked like he had been up for hours. He would never understand his pop.

"AHH, BUT TODAY WE ARE BLESSED WITH ANOTHER YOUTHFUL DAY MY SON! WE MUST SHOW OUR APPRECIATION BY JOGGING AROUND THE VILLAGE ONE HUNDRED TIMES!" Gai yelled at the top of his lungs, completely disregarding the fact that the sun hadn't even risen yet and he had just woken up everyone in the apartment complex.

Naruto just groaned again as he swung his legs off the bed. He ought to be used to his father's madness by now, but sadly, he wasn't. He didn't think he ever would be. '_Might as well get up and get warmed up for the damn Genin exam_' he thought.

Thirty minutes later, he was awake, if just barely, and ready to do his pop's version of warm ups which could be considered hell for an ANBU, let alone someone who hasn't even graduated from the academy yet.

"You really need to get a girlfriend pop" Naruto said as he sat down at the table, eagerly awaiting his breakfast. "Maybe then you wouldn't feel the need to wear those horrid green tights" he smirked. Insulting Gai's tights always got him riled up and when Gai gets riled up, it's bound to be entertaining.

"NO GIRL IN THE VILLAGE CAN MATCH MY SPRINGTIME OF YOUTH! AND MY TIGHTS ARE SEXY! WHY DO YOU THINK THEY CALL ME THE BEAUTIFUL GREEN BEAST OF KONOHA?!" he yelled.

"No one calls you that pop. You call yourself that" Naruto deadpanned as Gai sweatdropped.

"Either way" Naruto said between bites, "We need to get started on our warm ups. I have the Genin exams in a couple hours and knowing you it'll take that long to finish these warm ups" he stated.

Gai had the decency to look sheepish as he rubbed the back of his head with his hand. "Hai, then lets go and SHOW EVERYONE OUR SPRINGTIME OF YOUTH!" he screamed as he ran full speed out the door leaving a Gai shaped hole.

Naruto sighed heavily as he got up and followed his deranged father. "Every damn time. This is like our two hundredth door!" he mumbled to himself as he stepped through the hole and hurried to catch up to Gai's pace.

Hours later and they were finally done with their warmups. Naruto collapsed and even Gai looked like he would drop any second. This is what Kakashi walked up on. He saw Gai and suddenly became very serious. Gai had called him here today to help him explain to Naruto the most important part of being a shinobi.

Gai saw Kakashi and he too became serious. He looked to Naruto, the young man who had become his son over the years. He had come far from the small, malnourished boy he had saved all those years ago. If he was honest with himself, he was quickly becoming one of the most powerful shinobi in the village. He sighed as he remembered why he had asked Kakashi here. Today was the day he broke his son of the illusions of being a shinobi.

"Naruto" Gai said. Naruto instantly shot up from his resting spot. The tone his pops had used was rare. He had only heard it a few times since he had lived with him but he recognized it well. Gai was completely serious about something and that meant that it was important.

Gai, seeing that he had Naruto's full attention continued. "Naruto, being a shinobi isn't a game. Shinobi don't run into castles and save princesses. We don't use flashy jutsu or shout out techniques. Shinobi die everyday. Being a shinobi of Konoha means that you have to be willing to die for your village. You have to go on every mission and accept the fact that there is a very high chance that you won't come back. Real shinobi are stealthy. We kill people before they even know what happened. We ruthlessly slaughter men, women and children if that is what our mission entails. Shinobi have no morals, Naruto. We leave no man alive because every person left alive can recover and come back for revenge. As a shinobi of Konoha, that is something you cannot risk. Every single enemy you run into will have to die unless explicitly stated otherwise in the mission parameters. After you have heard all of this do you still wish to become a ninja?" he asked his son.

Naruto, for his part was stunned. He wasn't an idiot. He knew he would have to kill, but he thought he would only kill those that could not be redeemed. To hear his father, the most peaceful and fun-loving man he knew, state so coldly that everyone he ran into on a mission would need to be killed shocked him to his core. Yet, the more he thought about it, the more it made sense.

'_If I leave someone alive after my team killed theirs, they will go back to their village and recover. They will grow stronger until the time comes for them to come back and take their revenge. They would kill anyone close to me just to sate their thirst for vengeance. I cannot allow such a risk to my village live. How naïve I was to think that enemy shinobi could be redeemed. How idiotic it was for me to think that they would happily join our village and adhere to our ideals. I was a fool, but not anymore_' he vowed to himself.

He looked up at the two people he respected the most with a fire of determination in his eyes. "I do. I will gladly lay down my life to protect the people of this village" he responded with such devotion that it momentarily stunned Kakashi and Gai.

Kakashi looked at Naruto with pride visible in his eye while Gai looked at him and was nearly brought to tears as he remembered when his dear friend stated the same exact thing as he was inducted as The Fourth Hokage. '_Minato, you would be proud of the man your son has become_' he thought.

"I know you will Naruto" Gai said. "Now get up, the Genin Exams are in thirty minutes and you shouldn't be late" he told his son. Naruto suddenly looked panicked.

"Thirty minutes?" he shouted. "I have to go! I'll see you pop, Kakashi!" he shouted as he ran off to go get ready.

"He'll be just fine Gai, you don't need to worry about him." Kakashi told his rival.

"I know. I almost feel bad for his enemies. He has surpassed me" Gai said as he was walking away leaving Kakashi dumbfounded. '_He was joking right? Wasn't he?_' he thought furiously to himself as he shunshined to the Hokage's office to get a look at the new crop of Genin.

Naruto walked into the classroom just as the bell rang and was immediately accosted by Iruka.

"NARUTO! HURRY UP AND SIT DOWN SO I CAN CALL ROLE!" He screamed.

"Maa maa, calm down sensei, you're too worked up. Maybe you should find yourself a girlfriend" Naruto said as he walked to his usual spot near the window.

Iruka stuttered and turned bright red as he feebly attempted to come up with a response. Accepting defeat he settled the class down and finished taking role.

"Alright everyone, today is the Genin Exam. First will be the written test, then we will go outside for the weapons and taijutsu portion and then we will come back inside for the ninjutsu portion. Good luck to you all" he spoke as he began to pass out the written tests.

Naruto took one look at his test and scoffed. '_Really? Who was the Shodaime Hokage? Who are the three Sannin? Name one of the five elemental natures? This has got to be the stupidest test ever. I could have passed this when I was three_' he thought furiously. '_Was I really just wasting time coming to this dumb academy? Eh, no matter, easier for me'_ he thought as he quickly finished his test and turned it over.

He scanned the classroom and saw that he was the first to finish and promptly fell asleep. He was awaken by a shy civilian girl who quickly blushed bright red as he thanked her. He sighed for what seemed like the fiftieth time that day as he walked outside for the next test. Throwing ten kunai and ten shuriken at a target that was twenty-five feet away. He could do this with his eyes closed.

Most civilians that were called up only manged to hit around ten total while the clan children did slightly better at around thirteen.

"Uchiha Sasuke" Iruka called out as the emo brooder swaggered up while throwing a glare at the blonde. Naruto honestly thought the last Uchiha was hilarious.

His dream, or ambition as he liked to call it, was pitiful. Sasuke was so spoiled by the council he didn't even know what hard work was. He thought himself so good and so much better than all the other genin it was funny. He was so dead set on killing Itachi that he forgot that by the time Itachi was 12, he was already an established ANBU, well on his way to becoming a Captain.

Sure, Sasuke was decently skilled for a genin, but that was all. He was mid-genin level at best, and even that was a little iffy with the way the standards for Konoha shinobi had dropped since the Third Great Shinobi War. Undoubtedly, the second Sasuke ran into a genin from another village, he would get his ass royally kicked. And he would be waiting for it. Oh, how he would love to see Sasuke get whipped by some no name genin from one of the minor villages. '_Ahhhh, that'll be the da_y' Naruto thought to himself with a small smile that just served to anger Sasuke.

Fuming, Sasuke walked up and let his kunai fly hitting fifteen of the twenty targets. He looked back at Naruto with a cocky smirk, expecting him to bow down to his superior Uchiha might, only to find him flirting with the same civilian girl who woke him up. Before he could do anything, Iruka told him to go stand back with the others.

"Uzumaki Naruto, it's your turn" Iruka called out.

Naruto looked up. "My turn already?" he asked. "Well, wish me luck Hiruka-chan" he said to the civilian girl with a wink before strolling up to Iruka.

"Alright Naruto, all you need to do is hit as many targets as you can."

"I'll tell you what Iruka-sensei, I'll do you one better" he told the academy teacher. Before Iruka could ask what he meant, Naruto let loose his shuriken and kunai all at once. His jaw dropped when he saw that every weapon had not just hit the target, but hit a vital spot.

"T-that's a perfect score for Uzumaki Naruto. No one has gotten a perfect score since Uchiha Itachi did so congratulations Naruto. That was very impressive" he said while still trying to compose himself.

The loud squeals of his fangirls could be heard from the Hokage tower. Naruto was walking back to Hiruka, but not before giving an absolutely furious Sasuke his patented cocky smirk. '_That ought to drop him down a peg or two_' he thought with a smile.

He walked up to Hiruka and threw his arm around her. "Thanks for wishing me luck Hiruka-chan" he told her with a smile while squeezing her shoulder a bit and letting go. Meanwhile every girl in the class was glaring at a barely conscious Hiruka.

"Alright, alright calm down kids. Now it's time for the taijutsu portion of the test" Iruka told his class before leading them to the academy training grounds. Iruka began calling up kids and judging them as they sparred. Finally, there were only two student left. "Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto" Iruka called out.

(With Hokage)

Many of the Jonin had come to the Hokage's office today to see the genin exams. "Ahhh, this will be a good match" Anko said as they all watched the Hokage's crystal ball. There were murmurs of agreements throughout the room before Kakashi walked in.

"You're all fools if you think this will be anything more than a joke. Naruto is so far beyond Sasuke's skill level it's not even funny" he said lazily while still reading his smut. Many people didn't agree with that but Anko voiced her confusion before anyone could comment.

"What do you mean Kakashi? Sasuke is second in the class only to Naruto. It should promise to be a very good fight" she said condescendingly, as if she was obviously right.

Kakashi just scoffed, not even bothering to look up from his book. "You are a fool Anko. Gai has been training Naruto since he was five. He is well beyond the level of a mediocre academy student" he said lazily. "If you don't believe me just watch. But, just as a warning, don't blink or you'll miss it" he said as he walked to a corner and continued reading leaving many Jonin confused and Anko extremely pissed off and embarrassed.

"It is starting so stop your bickering" the Hokage said as he focused on the crystal ball. He himself didn't even know what level Naruto was at, but he knew that it was far above genin.

(Back With Naruto)

Naruto walked up and scoffed. "This is going to be over before you can blink" he said to the gay emo. There was no arrogance in his voice. Only truth and a cold brutality.

Sasuke sneered. "I am an Uchiha! An elite! A no name, clanless loser like you should learn your place. Trash like you should just die."

Naruto's stared at him for a second before bursting out laughing. "Coming from you that's hilarious. The Uchiha, whose clan was demolished in one night by a single man. For a group of so called elite they weren't really much now were they? They actually were pretty pathetic. Stealing the hard-earned jutsu of their comrades. Is that what you call being an elite? If so, than you're just as pathetic as your weak clan. On the other side of the spectrum we have my clan, the Uzumaki, revered for their skills in fuinjutsu and kenjutsu, who were killed off by no less than the combined forces of Iwa, Kumo, and Kiri and even then, we lasted a hell of a lot longer than one night. You see Uchiha? Do you see now the differences between our clans? You're nothing but a pathetic academy student with an overinflated ego and second-rate skills, but more importantly, you're Itachi's foolish little brother" he told Sasuke with hardened eyes.

By the time Naruto stopped talking, Sasuke was more angry than he could ever imagine being. He clearly heard Iruka tell them to start and right as he was about to charge the blonde, Naruto suddenly disappeared from his view. Before he could wonder were he went, he felt a blinding pain in his jaw as he sailed through the air and his world faded into darkness.

(Back With Hokage)

The room was silent, bar the occasional perverted giggle from Kakashi, as they watched the rest of the academy students finish up the jutsu portion of the test. Suddenly, Genma spoke up. "Did anyone see him move?" he asked the stunned group of Jonin. The only nods were from Gai, Kakashi, and the Hokage. All at once the room erupted into chatter.

The Hokage raised his hand and the room instantly fell silent. "I will be taking requests for Genin teams now" he told everyone. Most of the lesser known Jonin requested civilian children knowing they had no chance at getting any of the clan heirs. Finally, only Hayate, Anko, Kurenai, Asuma, and Kakashi were left.

Hayate stepped up. "Hokage-sama I wish to take Naruto Uzumaki on as my apprentice. His speed combined with a katana would be deadly. I believe he would do well under my tutelage" he said respectfully before bowing and walking to the back of the room.

Next up was Anko. "Hokage-sama I wish to take Naruto Uzumaki on as my apprentice. I feel as though his speed, coupled with my stealth and infiltration skills, would make him a formidable assassin" she told him before standing next to Hayate.

Asuma walked up and bowed. "I wish to take Naruto Uzumaki on as my apprentice. No specific reason really, I just feel like I wouldn't have to do much with him as my apprentice" he said with a shrug.

Kakashi didn't even look up from his smut. "I wish to take Naruto Uzumaki on as my apprentice. I was an ANBU Captain and I can teach him many things" he drawled.

Finally Kurenai walked up. She was one of the lesser known Jonin. She relied heavily on her genjutsu but it didn't stop her from attaining the rank of Jonin. "I wish to have a two man team consisting of Yakumo Kurama and Naruto Uzumaki. Yakumo's exceptional genjutsu and Naruto's speed and deadly taijutsu would make them an efficient assassination squad" she said with a small bow.

The Hokage stared impassively at the five Jonin. "Kurenai's request is granted. Yakumo and Naruto will become the leafs first two man Genin cell. Kakashi, you are too absorbed in your past to teach an apprentice effectively. Asuma, you are too lazy for your own good. Anko, you are only a Special Jonin, you don't have the necessary skills to teach someone with Naruto's skill set yet. Hayate, Naruto has expressed an interest in weapons but he adamantly refuses any of the more tradition and widely used weapons. Kurenai's request was a no brainer. She has the genjutsu skills necessary to help Yakumo and the tenacity to keep up with one such as Naruto. The rest of you will get your Genin team assignments in a few are all dismissed" he told them with a small wave of his hand.

Kurenai was brimming with excitement. Her request had been granted! She had seen the Uzumaki boy training before. She knew that he could probably beat her in an all out match. His speed surpassed Gai's and from what she had heard from her friend Yugaou, he had created his own taijutsu style that was as deadly as it was amazing.

Then there was Yakumo, her old student. Jiraiya had sealed away her Edo demon and Yakumo's health had drastically improved. She no longer looked to be sickly and was now blooming into a beautiful young woman. Her prowess in genjutsu was unsurpassed. Her squad was going to be the best. She would make sure of that.

**A/N**

**So I've been thinking. How many of you guys would like for me to have Naruto stray from his path of only using taijutsu and have him start learning ninjutsu as well. He will most likely specialize in fire and wind ninjutsu if I decide to go that way. I'm also thinking of having him gain an interest in using a gunbai (big war fan like the one Madara uses). Let me know what you guys think. Again I'm sorry for taking so long to update. **


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